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Topic Review (Newest First)

09-27-2012 04:35 PM

pronco

ride height, spring question

Hi all, a question about springs and ride height. I just swapped out the original struts to my '95 Corolla but kept the original springs. Now it's time for an alignment, so I figured I'd compare ride height against the manual's specifications. These are my readings:

Front Left: 22mm low (.87 in)
Front Right: 10mm low (.39 in)

Rear Left: 5mm low (.20 in)
Rear Right: 7mm low (.28 in)

I'm wondering if these low readings matter too much, particularly the driver's side spring and whether it will noticeably affect drive quality or be so out of spec that it could cause issues. I weight approximately 210 pounds.

Tank is full. Car is completely level and unladen in trunk or cabin. Tires are all identical, brand new and filled to recommended cold specs (30psi). For these tires the FSM recommends 250 mm rear and 190mm front, but it doesn't give a range. It also doesn't specify whether the specs are for a laden or unladen vehicle.

Thanks for any advice. I looked around the Internet but there is little being said about springs and ride height. AA1Car.com has a good article (Chassis Ride Height) and they suggest that anything less than 2 inches is usually considered within specs, but that is the only opinion I have found and they do not mention any vehicle by brand. I am assuming they are talking about passenger vehicles, but they don't make that clear.